Lethbridge, Alta. — A Lethbridge hair salon is preparing to start cutting and colouring again, and has started booking appointments for Thursday.
But Levi Cox, the owner of Catwalk Salon and Spa said it won’t be business as usual. “First of all, you are going to be called in for your appointment, and you’ll be asked questions about your health, and where you’ve been.”
There will be no waiting area, and each client will be escorted to their station. The stations will also be farther apart, and stylists will be cleaning the station between appointments.
Salon manager Jo-Anne Finch said everyone will be required to wear a mask. “That’s going to be the protocol in here.”
Finch said they only received a copy of the regulations on Monday.
Levi added that getting ready for the new normal is a more complicated than just throwing open the doors. “Business is going to take a little bit longer, and with lower volume, and lower profit, so there’s a lot of things to consider when reopening.”
Cox said he wasn’t expecting to open until September and was “blindsided” by the provincial government's announcement that barber shops and hair salons would be allowed to reopen May 14. “It puts a lot of pressure and fear into business if we don’t reopen, we’re going to lose that revenue and lose those clients.”
Catwalk employs 18 hair stylists, but only three will be working when the salon reopens Thursday. Finch said most of the staff want to wait until June. “Some of them are a bit nervous obviously, some have kids and then we have daycare that we don’t know about," she said.
Clients are also expressing mixed emotions about the reopening. Finch said while some customers are excited, others have said they’re okay waiting until later.
Clients that had their appointments cancelled in March are being given priority.
Cox said they are already fully booked for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but still have a few openings.
He added the soft opening will help ensure they have everything in place, and can operate the business in a way that is safe for staff and clients.
Cox said while the reopening is causing a lot of strain, he is also excited about the prospect of seeing his clients again. “I want to do what I can to be a leader in this community, and to try and do it safely and right, and bring some life to the downtown again.”
